Turkish youth, jihadism report angers Muslims

Minister of Social Affairs Lodewijk Asscher is very concerned about the large amount of support among Turkish youth in the Netherlands for violent jihadist groups such as Islamic State (ISIS).

A study by Motivaction, presented on Tuesday, shows that 80 percent thinks it is not "wrong" that violence is used by groups in the name of jihad against other believers or non believers. In contrast, there is little support among the Turkish youth for the proclaimed ISIS caliphate. Forum, the institute for multicultural issues, suspects that the young Turks argue that in war anything is permitted to achieve the desired goal - change.

The study also shows that 90 percent of Turkish youth think that those who fight against Assad are "heroes" and half of them think it is a good thing that Dutch Muslims travel to Syria to join the fight. 80 percent believe that these fighters will not threaten the Netherlands once they return. 90 percent responded negatively to the idea that Muslims should be prosecuted if they intend to travel to Syria.

The Contact Committee Muslims and Government, a partnership of 380 mosques, took notice of the study "with dismay". The CMO wants to discuss the matter, but points out that this is an exploratory study. "Further investigation is required, especially since this report is significantly different from previous studies."

Besides Asscher, a large part of the Second Chamber is concerned about the broad support among Turkish youth for groups like ISIS. The PVV wants a debate with Asscher, who is responsible for the integration policy. The VVD and CDA are also very concerned.